Who Made You The Drag Queen of the Gay Agenda?
Alright, so we admit we have an agenda, but what is it? Lots of people, like straight pastors and well-funded Glb(t) political operatives, think they know. Zack and Peterson try to suss out who sets the agenda and what it happens to be today. What are the bars by which we measure the success of the LGBTQ movement? We also talk about folks who are trying to bridge gaps, but might just be helping to maintain them. From Egypt to Hollywood to Washington, D.C., we look at who is shaping the agenda and chime in with our hopes and concerns.
Episode 38 of Queer and Queerer
Here’s some more information about what we talked about this week:
Tony Campolo preaching
Andrew Marin preaching
Ahmed Saad's Book
» This week’s erotic poem: “A Glimpse,” by Walt Whitman.
» HRC’s Trans Job Campaign in Massachusetts
» Egyptian “Gay Rights Activist,” or Ex-Gay Proponent?
» Discussion about Andrew Marin:
Belmont May Change Actions Toward Gay Groups
FriendlyAtheist: “I’m Sorry” Is Not Enough for the Gay Community
» The Second LGBT General Assembly (Facebook Event) – (Saturday, January 20)
» Creating Change in Minneapolis! It’s not too late to register! – (February 2-6)
» A Night with Robyn Ochs at Bucknell University – (Tuesday, February 15)
» See Peterson at Trinity University in San Antonio, TX (February 28-March 1)
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Peterson Toscano's A Musing 
As a partnered lesbian, I certainly share your desire and demand for equal rights for the LGBTQ community. I also understand your concern that the compassion alone for which those like Campolo and Marin advocate will not result in the full legal freedoms that we are due.
As a recovering evangelical Christian, however, I recognize that without folks like Campolo and Marin, the likelihood that those in conservative faith communities will EVER see the validity of our human rights is highly improbable.
The thing that I like about Campolo and Marin’s work is that they both dignify our lives and actively recognize the separation of church and state. If I am not mistaken, Campolo supports state-sanctioned civil unions for both heterosexual and homosexual people, and church-sanctioned marriages for both heterosexual and homosexual people (as each church sees fit). Marin himself attends and participates in gay weddings. I appreciate that we can disagree on matters of theology, respect each other, and support each other’s rights and freedoms.
I have personally met both Campolo and Marin and consider them to be allies, even though I disagree with them theologically on the “sinfulness” of my same-sex marriage.
Anyone who spends their days admonishing hateful, hypocritical, un-Christlike “Christians” to recognize me as a precious creation of God whom Christ himself would value and champion the rights of is a friend in my book.
Amy, wow. That was beautiful. As a gay partnered man myself, I really appriciate your balanced thoughts. I actually know Marin (I live in Boystown in Chicago), and it’s funny to me how people who have never met the guy or reached out to him personally have such a strong opinion against him. He is the most loving person I’ve ever met. He doesn’t judge anyone, respects everyone, and seeks the humanity in everything. I’ve known him for a few years now and not once has he ever tried to “change” me. He just loves me, my partner, our son and all of our friends – who are his friends now too. I could easily get another 100 LGBT people in a heartbeat here in Chicago who would say the exact same thing. As Marin says, “the outcome is secondary to the fidelity of the faithfulness in relationship.” No man could live that out more (pun intended 🙂 ).
I mean, the crazy part about The Marin Foundation’s Living in the Tension Gatherings is that the people who show up every time are literally from across the board – I’m talking atheist straight and LGBT people, LGBT Christians, celibate gays, conservative evangelicals, an intersex person…it’s wild!
Peterson, I’m sorry on this one, but you’re dead wrong and look like a fool. Those conservative folks will never listen to you, but they will Marin and Campolo. As Marin says, living in the tension of life, faith and sexuality doesn’t mean we all have to fully agree on everything, it means that we must validate the other’s humanity and each of our own experiences as legitimate to us.
Marin is the real deal. It saddens me Peterson that you can’t get past yourself. Just because he is straight and an evangelical doesn’t mean he’s the enemy.
Joe W, it sounds like you misunderstand my questions about Marin. I agree with both of you, Amy & Joe W., in that those of us who cannot speak directly to Conservative Christians, need to entrust some of that work to our straight allies. I do not have the privilege to speak to them. Neither do gay affirming folks like Jay Baker. Andrew Marin and Tony Campolo get in the door because of the ambiguity around some of these issues.
I am grateful for the work that allies do. I also know that allies get it wrong. Their hearts are often in the right places, but they speak about experiences different from their own. Therefore, they need to be willing and open to on-going training, to deep listening, and to criticism.
When I lived in Ecuador doing mission work, one woman in the mission was particularly hard on me every time I made a mistake with my Spanish. Finally I got frustrated and got huffy about it. She responded, “I am hard on you, but you speak Spanish too well to make those mistakes.” So in that spirit, I think that we need to hold those who thoughtfully and creatively attempt to speak to people on our behalf up to a higher standard. They need to not only hear our praise and gratitude. They need to listen to our critique. Often we learn the most from our critics.